2023
Interrupted by COVID-19 restrictions, production work is now resumed on my radio documentary for CBC Ideas, based on an important book by University of Ottawa historian Emma Anderson, published by Harvard University Press in 2007. Her book documents a story from the early 17th century about an 11-year-old Montagnais (Innu) boy who became involved in the work of European missionaries. The outcome is captured in the book's subtitle: "The Tragic Journey of a Colonial Native Convert."
In May, 2023, Emma Anderson and I travelled to Angers, France, for 3 very busy days of on-site recording and sound gathering for this documentary. Our subject, Pierre-Anthoine Pastedechouan, spent five years with the Recollet Fathers in their "house of studies" in Angers, before returning with them to New France in 1626.
We are now moving to the assembly stage to integrate material from a series of in-depth interviews carried out just before our work was interrupted by CV-19 lockdowns.
Interrupted by COVID-19 restrictions, production work is now resumed on my radio documentary for CBC Ideas, based on an important book by University of Ottawa historian Emma Anderson, published by Harvard University Press in 2007. Her book documents a story from the early 17th century about an 11-year-old Montagnais (Innu) boy who became involved in the work of European missionaries. The outcome is captured in the book's subtitle: "The Tragic Journey of a Colonial Native Convert."
In May, 2023, Emma Anderson and I travelled to Angers, France, for 3 very busy days of on-site recording and sound gathering for this documentary. Our subject, Pierre-Anthoine Pastedechouan, spent five years with the Recollet Fathers in their "house of studies" in Angers, before returning with them to New France in 1626.
We are now moving to the assembly stage to integrate material from a series of in-depth interviews carried out just before our work was interrupted by CV-19 lockdowns.
When not editing the work of other people, I write and record my own audio and print projects.
In 2013, I produced a radio documentary series with Bernie Lucht and Michael W. Higgins on Henri Nouwen for CBC Radio's IDEAS. The documentary also resulted in this book, published by Novalis in Canada and Paulist Press in the United States. It was the first of three major projects based on my research into this important writer on spirituality.
In 2013, I produced a radio documentary series with Bernie Lucht and Michael W. Higgins on Henri Nouwen for CBC Radio's IDEAS. The documentary also resulted in this book, published by Novalis in Canada and Paulist Press in the United States. It was the first of three major projects based on my research into this important writer on spirituality.
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In 2013, our Ideas series on Henri Nouwen won the New York Festivals' Gold Medal for Radio Documentary. Standing on the right of this team from CBC Radio, is the Executive Producer of Ideas, Bernie Lucht, who attended the award ceremony in New York to pick up the award.
(Photo courtesy of New York Festivals) |
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Then, in 2016 when CBC Radio celebrated 50 years of Ideas, it ran this excerpt from the Henri Nouwen documentary, and added a segment about the programme's impact on one listener in particular, a farmer from Saskatchewan named David Hagel.
Click on the link to hear this 15 minute MP3 audio clip. (I know it says 'Download File', but when clicked it instantly plays the audio file and lets you control it without first downloading it.) |
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In 2016, the U.S. publisher Franciscan Media commissioned me to write this biography:
The next year, Adeo Verlag published this German translation - with an interesting new subtitle: "Liebe macht den Unterschied" - Love Makes the Difference.
In 2019, Michael W. Higgins and I partnered once again on another project about Henri Nouwen. This book explores Nouwen's experience of and ideas about religious life. We look at how these might cast some light on religious formation today, a process that is facing enormous challenges on so many fronts. It was published by Paulist Press in the United States and by Novalis in Canada.
My research is not limited to Henri Nouwen.
In 2018, the award-winning author and editor Jon M. Sweeney asked me to contribute a piece for his collection of "life lessons" from the great writer, hermit, and monk, Thomas Merton. My piece links the experience of reading the work of Thomas Merton with listening to the music of Keith Jarrett.
In 2018, the award-winning author and editor Jon M. Sweeney asked me to contribute a piece for his collection of "life lessons" from the great writer, hermit, and monk, Thomas Merton. My piece links the experience of reading the work of Thomas Merton with listening to the music of Keith Jarrett.